Springfield firefighters file second lawsuit over rigged exam

Two volunteer firefighters who claim they were cheated out of paid jobs with the Springfield Fire Department when the former fire chief rigged the results of an entrance exam have filed another lawsuit with the Superior Court, this time claiming more than $85,000 in damages.

In the suit, filed Tuesday in Elizabeth, Dino D'Angelo and Connor Hamilton claim they are owed compensation for legal fees, as well as salary they would have received if the results of the 2007 entrance exam had not been forged.

The pair, who wanted to join the department's paid professional division, filed a separate lawsuit last March alleging the process was rigged to favor Fire Chief Wayne Masiello's son and Capt. Michael Bilotti's nephew.

Masiello, who subsequently retired, was later charged with forgery by the county Prosecutor's Office. Bilotti was terminated after a unanimous vote by the township committee.

Today, attorney Michael Prigoff said his clients were claiming at least $35,000 in legal fees, and another $50,000 for salary they would have collectively earned had the results been correct.

As in the previous suit, Prigoff argued that official results for the oral section of the exam, which was conducted by members of the New Jersey State Career Fire Chiefs Association, did not match results posted by Masiello. While his clients' scores were being lowered, the grades for the chief's son and the captain's nephew were raised substantially on the short list for potential hires.

But had the scores been accurate, Hamilton and D'Angelo would have ranked second and third, respectively on the list, he said. As the department has since hired the top two scorers on the exam, and given a conditional offer to the third scorer, Prigoff said his clients were essentially cheated out of jobs.

"Had they done this properly, at least one or both of them would be appointed as firefighters by now," Prigoff said.

Springfield Mayor Bart Fraenkel said today he had not received the complaint but was surprised the issue was resurfacing.

"I was under the impression that this had all been addressed on one level or another, and that nothing else was going on now," Fraenkel said."